Tuesday's letters: Overwhelming response

Tuesday

Nov 20, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Every year, the Spartanburg County Department of Social Services sees an outpouring of support from the community during the holidays, and this year was no exception.

Every year, the Spartanburg County Department of Social Services sees an outpouring of support from the community during the holidays, and this year was no exception.The staff and students of Spartanburg High School had their annual food drive to help restock our food pantry. On Friday, the food was delivered to our office, and the response was overwhelming. They provided more than 7,000 cans of food this year! In addition to this extraordinary amount of support, they also bagged food for Thanksgiving packages and decorated the bags in a Thanksgiving theme.On behalf of the staff of the Spartanburg County DSS, I want to thank Spartanburg High School for all the work that went into this project. Many families continue to struggle in this difficult economy, and the food will provide additional support.Katie BrophySpartanburg County DSS director

I was surprised to read about the debate surrounding Converse College traditions. First, Richard (or Roxie) is the fun face of a spirited competition between the classes, the counterpart being Pantera the Pink Panther. As a former class president, our “big sis, little sis” rivalries are as integral at Converse as the Greek system in other colleges.

The controversy emerging around the reinvention of one class mascot seems shortsighted. The fact that the student body is engaged and enjoys rebranding student life should be celebrated. After all, we alumni want confident women and future leaders to grace the campus. Not only does this change represent engaged students, it shows that not all women think an “androgynous” mascot best represents their collective character. No one should apologize for successful women celebrating beauty in a tasteful and respectful manner.The petitioners’ interpretation of the slogan “Beside every great man is a Converse woman” is equally shortsighted. Many women are in professional leadership roles where we often work alongside colleagues who are “great men.” We were proud when our institution reorganized and chose to remain single gender as many peer institutions opt for a co-ed student body, so ... why apologize for being women now?Whether at the helm of board meetings as an executive, listening to constituents as a public servant, raising children as a single mother or nurturing families as a traditional homemaker, we find ourselves in the company of men. Dexter Edgar Converse said, “A country depends heavily upon the culture of its women.”We have changed the American workplace in a very short time to one with a mutual admiration for the unique talents of both sexes. We have done this not by pretending to be men, squelching their contributions, or by being androgynous, but by being fearlessly feminine.Danielle GibbsGreenville